The Canadian National Film Board's The Devil You Know: Inside the Mind of Todd McFarlane documentary on the Spawn will premiere on CBC-TV's Life and Times on Jan. 23 at 7 p.m.

In other news surrounding the long-awaited documentary on McFarlane's life, a video is now available for purchase, which has an additional 35 minutes of footage not shown on the TV broadcast. Everyone who purchases a video will be entered into a drawing to win action figures and other products signed by Todd McFarlane. For more information, visit www.nfb.ca/devilyouknow.

Also a Flash postcard detailing the documentary with short downloadable video clips is available at www.nfb.ca/devilpostcard.

In his new documentary, filmmaker Kenton Vaughan tells the remarkable tale of a skinny baseball-crazed kid from Calgary, the doodling dreamer in the back row, who went on to become a giant in popular entertainment.

Todd McFarlane is driven, controversial and relentless in the pursuit of his goals. Yet he lives a stable domestic life married to his childhood sweetheart, a level-headed beauty who helps him manage a multi-million-dollar empire.

McFarlane's creative powers have come together with a hard-headed business acumen to transform his fictional creation Spawn -- a tortured soul caught between good and evil -- into an industry that encompasses comic books, toys, animation, video games and movies.

McFarlane's impact is particularly apparent in the loyalty and devotion of his fans -- where admiration can lead to obsession. The Devil You Know raises intriguing questions about fandom, as it follows two Spawn enthusiasts, and explores the zone where art becomes business and fans become customers.

Vaughan directed the 1998 NFB release Turning Away and has directed and produced for the CBC-TV's Market Place and Venture. The Devil You Know, which is also available in a feature-length version, was produced by Silva Basmajian for the NFB.